How Bailey Nune Went From Annoying Love Interest to Newcomer’s Best Character

Bailey Nune (Jenna Dewan) started in The newbie as one of my least favorite characters, but his dramatic turnaround over the years should be studied by other newsrooms as an example of how to transform a character from a lame duck into a must-see star. The newbiewhich debuted in October 2018, has been airing for six seasons and counting, with The newbie 7th season already announced. The police procedural stars Nathan Fillion in one of his most memorable roles, a divorced father, John Nolan, who decides to join the LAPD.

After graduating as the oldest rookie on the force, John must navigate the dangerous world of policing in a big city, and he has to deal with the unpredictable and confusing parts of changing careers later in life. It wasn’t long before John became one of the most respected officers on the force and The newbieThe large cast of characters keeps the story fresh and interesting. At the end of Season 3, John’s life is further shaken up by the introduction of Los Angeles firefighter Bailey Nune.

Bailey Nune’s introduction was awkward and rushed

Bailey seemed like a boring character who would leave the show quickly

Although Bailey is first introduced in the Season 3 finale, we won’t meet her until Season 4 Episode 2, “Five Minutes,” but that doesn’t mean I enjoyed meeting her in that episode. Frankly, Bailey is a terribly written character when she is first introduced. She was the most clumsy of the TV characters, and although she didn’t threaten to ruin The newbieI longed for the day when I wouldn’t have to see her again. When she first appeared, here were her personality traits: She is good at everything and loves being active. Wow.

And this was the woman The newbie positioned to be a match for our beloved John Nolan? No thanks. Even worse, when they started dating, Bailey broke up with John via text message. Rude and also always a stupid decision for a TV show; just put the characters in the same room! You have Nathan Fillion and Jenna Dewan. Let them get their act together, for Pete’s sake! His reason was somehow even more pathetic. She is “terrible” at relationships. Classic. I’ve heard this before.

It was like the writers accidentally created Bailey in the room and then realized, “Wow, we need to do something with this lady. How about she’s good at “stuff”? And we’ll make her fearless, and she should date John. But there must be some conflict. What if she breaks up with him? Why? She is terrible at relationships. How terrible? Well, she is “very”. Much like? You know what, I think it’s lunch.” Bailey Nune was undeniably a bad character. And she wasn’t.’

In Rookie Seasons 4 and 5, Bailey Nune Gets Some Much-Needed Character Development

Jason Wyler’s arrival changes the trajectory of Nune’s character

I think the writers of The newbie know more about their show than I do (a tough pill to swallow) because halfway through season 4, they completely change the vibe of the character, while also ensuring that the key points of his awkward introduction don’t come across as mistakes. After John and Bailey decide to stay together, John considers taking their relationship to the next level and prepares to propose marriage. However, before he can, Nailey’s ex-husband Jason Wyler (Steve Kazee) arrives to crash the party and unlock Bailey’s character.

It turns out that the obvious and strange character traits that Bailey had at the beginning of the seasons were supposed to sound strange and vague because she was hiding something. When she met Nolan, she was dealing with the immense trauma of leaving her manipulative and abusive partner, Jason. The fact that she said she was “terrible” at relationships was a way of protecting herself and hiding her story from John. This revelation helped me a lot to understand the character on a more emotional and natural level.

Even better, The newbie doesn’t turn Bailey into a helpless victim. While it’s clear she’s scared of her ex, she’s also steadfast and courageous in the face of his machinations. There is a lot of strength and dignity revealed in Bailey thanks to this story arc. She takes the final steps toward divorcing Jason, deciding to move on from her traumatic past with her head held high. In Season 5, Bailey’s personality and background are expanded, in less dramatic but no less fascinating and engaging ways.

Her Type A personality goes from being a random character trait she was given, to something that rings true to her, with plenty of evidence to show why there is good and bad in her overrated mindset. Bailey is involved in several fun subplots throughout the season, including one where she spends all day trying to catch a barking dog under her porch, only to discover it’s a coyote. Undeterred, she builds a contraption to trap the animal in a box.

Later, Bailey decided to take a day off and get back on her feet. I’ve never seen Bailey put her feet up before, and it’s immediately obvious that she has no idea what “relaxing” means. These fun diversions do more than just laugh, they flesh out Bailey Nune as a character and make it clear that she’s not just a box of stereotypes. She has her own personality and your character is informed by the things she does and what she has experienced.

Jason Wyler’s return will be an important arc for Bailey Nune in the debut season 7

Bailey and John are now prepared for what Jason can do

Of course, Bailey Nune couldn’t chase coyotes and struggle to sit still forever and Season 6 brings back some big problems. In the Season 6 finale, “Escape Plan,” Jason Wyler teams up with Oscar Hutchinson (Matthew Glave) to escape from prison. Jason has only one thing on his mind; return to John and Bailey. Luckily, John and Bailey are aware of what’s coming for them, so The newbie season 7 should see the couple ready to face whatever he throws at them.

Jenna Dewan talked about what’s next for Bailey Nune in The newbie 7th season (via Women’s World),

“It’s fun because, having been on this show for so many seasons, John [Nolon, played by Nathan Fillion] and Bailey [Nune] have gone through many ups and downs. Last year we dealt a lot with the possibility of having a child, the complications of Bailey not being able to have one, and what that would be like. So this season, we’re going to continue to see what that looks like for our relationship, and there are some high-stakes actions and issues.”

Dewan notably doesn’t mention anything about Jason, which could mean that Bailey will be able to deal with her ex easily this time around and there will be plenty of other stories to explore with Bailey Nune and The newbie.